Limbo Game Review

Games are beginning to turn into a form or art and Limbo is the latest game to catch the eye of the gaming world with it's film noir style graphical direction. The game produces no dialogue, no text, and gives no explanation. It's hard to imagine how this can then be called "Art" by the critics in the gaming industry and be considered one of the best games of the year. The fact is Limbo manages to communicate everything that it needs to say without saying a single word, using the setting, Sound, and Environment to create an atmosphere that is almost unmatched by any other 2D Puzzle Platformer i have ever played. On top of all this the ending is one of the greatest moments in recent gaming history.

In Limbo you take control of a young boy after he wakes up in a dark forest. There is no indication of how you got there, why your there, or where you should go. You don't even know who you are. You set out on your journey and you find out very soon that this is a very dangerous unforgiving world you are in, your motivation at this point is to find a way out of this forest. The game has no unnecessary cut scenes or loading times, it's just you locked in this horrific atmospheric world unaware of what lies beyond your next step. The game manages to lure you into it's unique environment, isolating you from anything else.

The first half of the game seems to feel less isolated with other interesting creatures like Spiders and of course the children who don't seem to happy to see you. While the second half of the game manages to capture that feeling of isolation very well with no other life, focusing solely on the puzzle aspect of the game in an industrial setting. The games atmosphere is at it's best when you feel isolated, however when you experience these interactions with the creatures and other children there is an emotional connection made with the game, it's also extremely creepy at times and made me feel a sense of urgency when looking for a way out.

In Limbo you should expect to die allot, it's a trial and error game that manages to keep it'self from becoming repetitive or frustrating. As you explore this remarkable environment you will come across obstacles that will often kill you in sick and gruesome ways. The obstacles that kill you are always very creative and imaginative, providing some of the most brutal deaths you will ever see. The shocking thing is because you seem to be controlling a 12 year old boy, to see him loose his legs in a Bear trap, or decapitated by a Buzzsaw is disturbing at times. The game is very hard in the later stages and provides a great challenge. When you die the game is very rewarding allowing you to start right before the obstacle you failed to cross giving the player more incentive to get right back to the game and try again.

The game is only five to six hours long but the price and content is still well worth the price to download it. It would not be any fun adding a few extra hours of meaningless gameplay into a perfect game just to extend it's length so i am glad the developers kept the game short but sweet.

The leaderboards are poor and don't really give any decent information to make them worth thinking about, deaths, and completion times are non-existent which is a shame.

The sound design is astonishing, it's one of the reasons this game contains such an incredible atmosphere. It is also used in puzzles, you will often have to listen carefully for a clue to figure out how to pass an obstacle. The sense of dread and isolation is enhanced by the lack of any audio track, focusing on the fantastic variety of ambient sounds.

Limbo's ending was one of the most simple and effective endings i have ever seen in a game, i was blown away by the emotion i felt from such a simple ending. It was very unexpected and most people might not even notice how the game truly ends which is what is so amazing about this work of art. All i will say is, just look very closely at the main menu after you have completed the game.

Limbo is yet another 2D puzzle platformer to recapture the old school gaming we used to all know and love, However it does more than enough to stand out as a true modern classic adding enough of the old formula and mixing it with the new. Sound, gameplay, and atmosphere are all perfected in this fantastic little game which belongs in anyone's collection.

Limbo is a modern day classic, it's awesome 9.5/10